His empty bed
by Ladyofthewrittenword
Summary: Steel and bravery won't be enough to save Merlin, they will need magic. Arthur won't be the one saving this time, it will be his wife.
1. Chapter 1

'I WANT HIM DEAD' the echoing scream repeated in the queens mind as the surprise ripped her from her already troubled slumber.

'MERLIN!' Guinevere Pendragon's breathes, shallow and irregular, filled the royal tent which was pitched to the cold earth of the hunting grounds.

'My lady?' a warming voice came closer and the figure of the old physician appeared.

'MERLIN! HE'S GONE, MORGANA'S TRAPPED HIM, SHE KNOWS, SHE KNOWS SOME SECRET! A DEADLY SECRET, GAIUS' the kindly old man gingerly crept over and sat beside the trembling queen.

He ran his aged fingers through her dark curls in a soothing, fatherly manner and whispered some comforting words, 'dreams, my girl. They are powerful things but that are not the future; they will not come to pass. Merlin is in his tent, sleeping like you should be; this is a time for joy, Gwen, this is a hunting trip for the whole of court to enjoy, it happens once every ten years, so enjoy it!'

She sobbed a little into the aged doctors' shoulder as he embraced her in a friendly hold. The tears slowed as did Gwen's breathing.

'There you see, sleep my child' She gave him a weary smile as he slowly made his way back to the entrance, he gave her a small smile and Guinevere nuzzled her head back into her pillow, as she tried to forget about the whole horrid business.

'GAIUS!' the king's forceful voice roared into Gwen's ears; Arthur Pendragon rushed past the old physician and accidently knocked him a little, the king corrected his mistake by steading Gaius back on his feet.

'Sire?' the healer's voice concerned replied; 'he's gone' the king panted, 'my sister's has taken him'.


	2. Chapter 2

The king was pacing which meant he was mulling over his thoughts, his troubled thoughts.

He stopped with his back straight and he folded his arms; he remained in this stance while staring at the vacant bed, not staring as such but studying it.

The covers were messed as if someone had rested there but it was too neat for Merlin; Arthur had noted that his manservant was a restless sleeper and usually ended half out of bed by the time the sun rose; something about this didn't fall well with him.

Merlin had been taken by Morgana, that much was obvious, and the reason was also clear; however, the very idea chilled the fair-headed man to the bone so he put it out of his mind.

Arthur concluded Merlin had not been here all night; in the small tent, there was no sign of a struggle, the servant's pack was still slung on the floor and Merlin had left his blue neck tie.

'What colour shirt was Merlin wearing?' Arthur with his arms still folded asked his knights who were all crowded into the one-man tent.

The men all exchanged glances looking towards each other for the answer; Gwaine was pushed forward to deliver the knights verdict.

'Red, we think, sire' the out-spoken knight timidly replied to his king.

Arthur loosen his arms and let them fall to his side, he scanned the man, head to toe, 'Gwaine, what's wrong?'

The knight never made eye-contact with Arthur and stared directly towards his feet; the king skimmed the other men, they were all watching the floor.

'Brothers? Merlin's disappearance is indeed trying for all of us but if you do not speak up then how can I help?' the wise leader preached loudly to his men.

Sir Leon bit his lip and anxiously rubbed his hands together while still glancing at the earth; Sir Elyan's dark eyes were tearing around the tent and the wind that blew made him twitch; Sir Percival muscles tensed and his breathing was short and sharp; Sir Gwaine continued to be fixed upon his boots and would not look at the king.

'She's gotten to them already' a voice spoke from behind the group. The queen stood there as she finished attaching a sword to her side.

'We were warned, Arthur. There were so many signs'.


	3. Chapter 3

'Where the hell are you going?'

Arthur knew the answer but hoped he was wrong. Guinevere pulled her horse into a holt and collected the reins into her left hand; she then twisted her upper body towards the figure of her husband who stood behind her.

'You know where, my lord' Arthur moved around to gaze upon the face of the queen.

Guinevere turned her body back to face the way she was going, away from the camp.

The king noticed she hadn't taken much in the way of supplies or anything much really, just a small bag draped over her back.

Arthur opened it with his gloved hand and pulled out a couple of mysterious looking bottles and bundles upon bundles of bandages.

'Take some food with you at least' he insisted to his wife 'I'll run back and get some' Arthur stuffed the medical necessities back into their place but Guinevere shook her head, Arthur closed her bag as his queen pulled her reins back into the correct riding position.

'Time is running out, Arthur! Merlin is all that matters' she replied.

'Let me send some knights with you at least! Obviously not Gwaine or Leon, but one of the others, one of my most trusted'

'Are you not listening, husband? Morgana wants me and only me; Merlin's just the bait and I'm the catch, open your eyes'

'Oh, Guinevere' the young leader smiled, he raised his pale hand and run it across her smooth cheek 'you willingly and knowingly would walk into a trap?'

'For Merlin' she replied to her beloved, 'listen to me, do not send knight's after me, she'll know and you will be burying two bodies'

From birth the young Pendragon hadn't been used to obeying orders but since his father's death and his natural ascension to the throne of Camelot, Arthur Pendragon was truly growing into the fitting title, the best king to ever live.

'For Merlin' Arthur lightly hit the horse's rear and the mare rushed into a prompt trot.

He watched as the horse and rider vanished among the density of the surrounding, thick woods, Arthur thought he had achieved the impossible, to love Guinevere even more.

'King Arthur!' a boy around his tenth summer ran up to his king, the dark headed child tried to twine together the words he had been delivered to speak but his panting keep them from leaving his mouth.

'Calm yourself, boy' Arthur hushed as he patted the small child comfortingly on his back 'now, speak slowly so I can hear you' the king smiled but the child reminded silent. Arthur realised the boys strange breathing was not from running a great distance but due to the fact the poor child was in tears.

'The knights' the boy finally spoke.


	4. Chapter 4

When the king arrived back in camp, an uneasy silence roamed the site.

The camp had been set up in a clearing in the middle of the forest; the area sported good coverage for hunting, in fact the locals often referred to this part of the kingdom as 'the endless' due to their being nothing but a long way of foliage, that is why it had been chosen for the event. Something Arthur would later regret.

Arthur had sent most of the servants back to the castle but some remained behind in order to pack up and bring the celebrations to an end; they were nowhere in sight.

'Boy, where is your-' the king paused and look behind him for the child who Arthur presumed had followed him back.

'All is well now, come out, child. No harm will come to you' Arthur continued as he turned around on his heel and scanned the woods, for the hiding outline of the little boy.

'Argh!' a scream distracted the man from his still search and his attention was aimed towards the direction the loud cry had originated from.

'Hello?' Arthur Pendragon calmly uttered as he peered into each of the dozen or so tents that were still pitched up.

Arthur had glanced inside all of them and there was no sign of a soul.

'My lord! We're been attacked!' Leon shouted towards the king.

'There wasn't a sound of an attack! There was no noise!' Arthur marched towards trustworthy Leon and was now facing his oldest knight.

'They've got the party rounded up and taken them into the woods; come on, we're got to save them!' Sir Leon urged as he pulled Arthur by his arm 'Sire, come on!'

'How did you solely escape?' questioned the king as he pulled away from Leon's grip.

Another yell filled the air and that was all it took; no more enquiring glares were given and Arthur's question remained un-answered until the two men reached the beginning of the woods.

The knights stood towering over the servants and poor Gaius with their swords pointed towards them, nothing but loathing engraved upon their faces, upon their hearts.

A sharp feeling made Arthur stand very tall even though he had never felt so small; a sword was being pointed into his back.

'Am I no longer your brother?'

...

As the horse slowed into a walk, it was clear Gwen had drifted off into a deep slumber. Her head hung low and her body was limp. The horse was guiding itself, unsure of where to go so it travelled down the only path that seemed mapped out well so it was safe to say their place was unknown.

'Let him go' a pathetic voice begged as a shadow hung over a body, Guinevere recognised the body to be herself.

'I kept my side of the deal, rel-ease h-im' her voice continued becoming weaker.

The dream felt like Guinevere was behind glass gazing upon something that hadn't happened or was never going to occur; Gaius said it was just the stress of the hunt and the lack of sleep but this was something else, something no words could ever describe.

Gwen awoke to a jolt in the horse's movement, the horses remained stationary and this is when Guinevere knew it was time for some rest.

'Very well, horse. This is our camp' she proceeded to dismount the animal; she let her bag drop to the ground forgetting the medicine she had carefully packed.

A smash came from the pack and a sigh from the queen; she bowed onto her knees and opened the dark coloured bag and a red running fluid leaked onto her fingers.

'Fantastic' Guinevere thought to herself.

The crunch of leaves told the young woman she was no longer alone; she pouted her lips in annoyance as she threw down the broken bottles.

She logically assumed Arthur himself or some of the knights had followed her, that was a ridiculous thought now but Gwen didn't know that.

'Arthur, I told you to stay away!' she hissed as she rose from her crouched position.

'Oh' the queen stated as she finally saw who stood before.


	5. Chapter 5

There was a lengthy pause of calm before either side dared to speak.

'Hello, I'm Gwen' the queen offered out her hand for the other body to shake but the little boy just remained very, very still and did not look in Gwen's direction.

'What's your name?' The dark-headed child again stayed quiet but his blue eyes came into focus with the queen's weary face.

'You're a long way from home, aren't you?' for a moment the boy's lips parted as if he was going to speak but that's as far as it went. Guinevere breathed deeply and raised an eye-brow to this strange little boy.

'Boy, are you injured or unwell? Please, I'm not going to hurt you' smiled Gwen as she again kneeled down and now looked upwards to the child.

'I have many names but who I am or what I will become is not important' the blue-eyed child finally spoke as he gazed down to the queen, his tone was monosyllabic.

Her warm grin was still present on her face and Gwen accepted she would not get much more out of the child so she invited him to sit with her, just until his mother or father found him missing.

A roaring heat had sprung up where the queen and the boy sat; the fire separated the two so they were sitting either side of the controlled flames.

'I would offer you something to eat but…'

'You have nothing, I know. However, if you did you would give me the whole loaf'

Guinevere was not quite sure how to reply, so she opted to over eagerly nod her response.

'I must leave you soon, my lady' the boy plucked some grass and started carving it into smaller pieces with his nails as he said this.

'Why did you call me 'my lady'? I don't you know and you don't know me'

For the first time since they met, the child gave Guinevere a small smile and his eyes transferred from blue to gold and finally back to their lovely blue shade.

The fire died down for a second before it returned to its natural state.

'You have magic, you're a sorcerer' in awe of what she was just witnessed Guinevere stared enchanted at the flames of the fire.

The queen had been wounded by the ways of magic but she did not hate all those who practiced it; she had once heard someone, who escapes her memory, say 'that all those we practice magic are not evil', she always remembered that.

The innocence of this child had proved that; he was not a cut throat or a traitor to the crown; he was far too young to have mastered the ways of the magical arts so the queen decided he must have been born with magic.

'I am here to deliver you on your way, Gwen. I am your source, I am your solution and I am your safety, without me there is no you and without you Merlin's death is assured; follow this path until the idle sun rises from its sleep and do not stop to rest or destiny it's self will fall'

Unsure of what to say or do, the queen resorted back to the fitting reply, the over-eager nod. The child seemed to have grown in the small amount of time he had been in the queen's company yet he looked no larger in size.

'I will dream' a tear slipped from Gwen's eye and the child offered his wise council for the last time: 'Let them come' he whispered.

'Boy, where is your-' and the child was gone, nothing, not even a trace of footprints.

'We must be on our way' confidently announced Guinevere Pendragon as she strode up to the ebony mare.

Before mounting her horse, Gwen checked she still had the wraps of cloth inside her pack. There they were, along with two bottles of mysterious looking red fluid. The roaring fire was now nothing but a pile of ash and smoke.


	6. Chapter 6

It was said he was born with a sword in his hand and bravery darned into his nature; this was treason even if the knights were enchanted, he could have their heads for this and by law he should; this trouble ought to have occupied all the king's thoughts but Merlin's and Guinevere's well-being seemed to hold all his attention.

'Are you going to talk to us?' questioned Arthur as he glanced to each of the knights who were now in all circle with their swords draw facing their prisoners who were settled in the middle but their heads hung downwards.

There were two young maidens among the trapped group, shamefully the king could not recall their names nor could he remember the three men that sat around him, obviously they were servants but again no names came into the leaders already stretched mind, then there was Gaius and finally Arthur himself.

Arthur looked towards the two girls, neither were more than their twentieth season, the face of the younger girl was tear strained and her brown eyes were coarse and looked sore so Arthur decided to speak with the older looking maid; her auburn hair was messed and her face paled while her body trembled slightly.

Arthur un-clipped his vivid red cloak and handed it to the quivering maid; the girl gazed up to the king, she gave Arthur a little smile of gratitude and tightly embraced herself and the other girl in the gift from their king.

'My parent's called me Gaynor, my lord' the girl with eyes as green as the trees around them spoke, the dark-haired maid's tears become fluent as they replaced her words as her cries reframed her from speaking.

'My cousin, Matilda. She doesn't really understand'.

The heads of the knights were still facing the earth but their swords were still directed towards the cornered captives; Sir Gwaine's face raised to face the snivelling Matilda, he strode towards the girl and held his cold sword to her neck.

'Gwaine, what do you think you're doing?' once again Arthur Pendragon probed at the knight for some response 'I know you're in there, you're a good man, Gwaine. Please remember who you are'

The knight's head turned to face the king, a sick grin slipped on Gwaine's fair face.

'Who I was, _sire._' Sir Gwaine disgusting replied, Arthur could have sworn just in that moment he could hear Morgana.

...

'Am I rash? Am I reckless? Am I heedless?' contemplated the last priestess as she patrolled around her bait.

The temptation was not awake and he barely breathed the air around him; oh, Merlin.

'Why are you so important to my brother? You're just a servicing boy, a brave one I'll give you that, Merlin. Why, though, why, that's the limitless question, why?'

Merlin lay on his back with his face away from the witch; Morgana bent down and brought the young man's face to her side.

A sizeable gash of blood trickled down his mud-smeared face and formed a little puddle of liquid on to the ground beside him

'Oh' the young woman smiled 'I believe your lovely queen has arrived'.


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur felt his side for his faithful Excalibur but he could sense nothing but the material of his breaches.

'I promised them! I vowed to her mother and father she would be safe, always; oh what a lie! What a thing to say!' Gaynor projected her woes to the king and the physician as they were the only two who were going to heed her words.

Young Matilda and the other male servants were taken by Sir Gwaine and Sir Percival deep in the woods but no screams or cries for their mothers were heard, just silence.

Elyan and Leon stood guarding the three who were left, with their swords aimed towards them but with their heads down.

'My lord, forgive me. I merely forgot for a moment of whom I was speaking with; please pardon my ignorance, sire'

Her face turned towards where her cousin had once sat beside her, she smiled slightly but her expression was ached and tired.

'She'll perish without me' Gaynor unnoticed to herself was stroking a silver ring encrusted with droplets of amber which absorbed the light; Gaius noticed, he knew what she really meant.

'Matilda is not a little girl, she can care for herself' Arthur reminded the auburn-haired maid, he obviously said it to try and comfort Gaynor but it resulted in the king's cloak being thrown back in his face.

'You understand not a thing of us, _sire. _It was my duty and mine alone to care for her; she may have come of age and she's older than she appears but she is not meant to be alone, not again'.

Gaius' thoughts had just been confirmed.

….

'Well, here I am! I keep my side-' Guinevere bit her lip to stop herself talking and saying those already selected words.

Gwen had left her horse tided to a tree and the mare was happily grazing on grass, she carried her bag on her back.

'MORGANA!' roared the queen, her face redden from anger and she shook from clenching her fists so tight.

'Let them come' the familiar voice repeated; the figure of the dark-headed little boy walked past Gwen and she glimpsed him for just a second; she turned her head right and attempted to follow him but he was gone again.

'Let them come' he said for a second time and the queen glanced him but to the left of her this time, she aimed to follow his path once more but nothing.

'I am losing my mind? Am I losing myself within myself? See! I'm speaking in riddles now!' laughed Guinevere Pendragon; a trail of red lead her dark eyes to Merlin who lay on the hard earth, his eyes shut and his red shirt darkened.

'Old friend' Gwen whispered as she kneeled beside Merlin and she softy stroked his pale cheek 'I fear I am to late'.

The queen clenched her fists once more but she no longer shook, she vowed justice and preached Merlin would be well once more.

'Your story isn't going to end in this way and you certainly will not be leaving so soon' she rested her forehead on Merlin's as she promised this 'Your bed isn't meant to be empty'

'Let them come' the continuation of the same phrase emerged yet again and Guinevere suddenly felt very drowsy.


	8. Chapter 8

The night had been a long one and a cold at that. Arthur had just drifted off as soon as the sun rose but Gaynor and the old physician remained very much awake.

'How does he sleep?' Gaynor said lowly so not to wake the resting king. Gaius glanced at Arthur then to the young maiden; he replied with unsure movement of his shoulders and turned his attention back to Arthur.

'I said something, physician; are you not going to reply?' her sharp, blunt tone grabbed Gaius' wondering attention and made him hiss back: 'You're daughters of Avalon'

'Nothing to say? You have taken a great risk in gaining a place in the House of Pendragon, girl; in who do you report to? Who have you betrayed us too?'

She shook her head and repeated the word 'no' over and over; Arthur moved and groaned quietly before settling again.

'My mother and Matilda's mother were of Avalon origins, they were sisters; but they were betrayed; like so many of our kind commanded to live a mortal life for they fell in love with mortal men' Gaynor offered her explanation but something didn't fit right; Gaius recalled the encounter with two excluded members of Avalon before but their crime was the killing of another member, surely crimes of the heart couldn't be compared.

'They became human but kept their magic; when they died, they entrapped their powers within this ring until the time we were ready; they were killed when we were so young, I barely remember my mother's face' she lifted her hand and showed Gaius the up close beauty of Gaynor's ring.

'Your father's? I take it, they cared for you' Gaius smiled in absent hope but the girl's face spun a different tale.

'For a little while, yes; we were hidden for the most part of our earlier years, past from friend to friend until we arrived in Camelot, the worst place for us but we had nowhere else to go' Gaius lifted his eye brow enchanted by the girl's fable and urged her to continue with a strain of his eyes.

'Their heart betrayals eventually court up with them, not the elders of Avalon but man… their fate was sealed like our mother's before them'

'How, Gaynor? How?' the elderly man pressed for the green-eyed maid to continue, she turned to face Gaius and returned his smile. Her eyes fell to the snoozing king, who was still unaware of the conversation that had just taken place.

'Uther' she uttered as she turned away, her green eyes were now also red and sore.

…

'Gwen, you need to wake up' warned the little voice.

The queen attempted to ignore it, she was just so exhausted; please, just another while yet, she begged to herself.

She could feel herself waking up but she held her eyes tight shut, trying to stop reality from ripping her from her rest.

'You're the only one that can help him!' pleaded the voice, gaining in confidence as he became louder 'treat his wounds, talk to him, Guinevere! Do something! Before she come's back for him!' warned the boy as his voice disappeared.

Her brow was sweat covered; it took her a moment to remember where she was or why she was here.

Guinevere was down on her stomach next to her injured friend; she sat herself up and perched her body next to the younger man.

She removed her bag from her back and emptied the contents on to the ground, just catching the two little bottles.

'For you Merlin' she said as she glazed each of the bandages in the thick, red liquid.

She examined Merlin for wounds, the worst was the head but she found many more across his limp body.

'Have mercy' Guinevere Pendragon declared as she started treating Merlin's many wound's just as the little boy had said.


End file.
